Investigators will enlist the help of psychological experts to craft a profile of John Shick with the hope of understanding why he shot six people, killing one, inside Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, says the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Knowing his motives — and whether there were warning signs — could help prevent similar attacks in the future.
Law enforcement officials have spoken to the 30-year-old Shick’s parents, had seen some of his medical records and were still sorting through ample evidence collected from his apartment to learn more about him and his mental health history. “There’s a lot of evidence that, from a layperson’s perspective, we don’t completely understand,” District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said after meeting with police detectives. He said psychologists and psychiatrists will help investigators decipher the items — including handwritten messages in notebooks and on walls, bottles, and wicks investigators think were the makings of Molotov cocktails, and a printed brochure, apparently available to the public, providing Western Psych’s floor plans.